Carlos Locklyn Likes Depth, Differences In Buckeye Backfield

It is a new year for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and nowhere is that more apparent than at running back.

Gone are thousand-yard rushers Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, leaving behind a void of experience and production that will need to be filled along the way.

The Buckeyes are now through three spring practices, so the process is still in its very early stages. The directive from running backs coach Carlos Locklyn is to pay attention to the details, and do it with energy.

“Well, I always tell the backs, it’s always the little things,” Locklyn explained. “Be intentional about what you’re working on. So, I’ve got to be intentional about what I’m pouring into them because everything starts with me. They’re going to take on my mindset.”

Locklyn knows that whatever energy he brings to practice, his players are going to mirror.

“So every day I come out here, I attack this field,” he said. “That’s whether I’m feeling well, whether I’m sick. Because those backs, I told them when Coach Day hired me, they’re going to feed off my personality. So, I always tell people all the time, if your kid’s soft, you’re soft. Go look in the mirror. So, that’s why I come out here like that.”

The Room

The Buckeyes will have six scholarship running backs on the roster this season, which is deeper than they’ve been in the past. However, of the six, only West Virginia transfer CJ Donaldson has ever started a game.

Sophomore James Peoples and redshirt freshman Sam Williams-Dixon are the only returning scholarship backs from last year’s team. True freshmen Bo Jackson and Isaiah West are in for spring, though West is being held back due to injury right now. True freshman Turbo Rogers will arrive in the summer.

There will be plenty of options for Locklyn once the Buckeyes get through spring and fall camp.

“I think we’re going to have a pretty good room,” he said. “It’s competitive. James, CJ, Sam. Obviously, we know Bo Jackson. Can’t wait to get Isaiah back going and get Turbo here. But right now, what we got out here, I’m excited about the room.”

Even though he is just a sophomore, James Peoples has already emerged as a leader. As the No. 3 running back last year, he had a front-row seat for how the position is supposed to be played.

“He’s pushing to be great,” Locklyn said of Peoples. “I think he had a great example last year with Trey and then Q. So, he’s doing some really good things. But, like I said, Coach Lock ain’t going to make it easy for nobody.”

As proof of that, Locklyn didn’t even wait for Donaldson to choose Ohio State before setting the tone of what life would be like as a Buckeye.

“I challenged him during the process of getting him here because he could have went other places,” Locklyn explained. “He said he wanted to be here. He felt like I could get him ready. And I told him part of that is going to be discipline and getting his weight down. He went from 244 to 226. I’m proud of him. But that just showed the mindset that he has to be disciplined and challenge himself. And he looks good right now.”

Locklyn sees the 6-foot-2 Donaldson as a slasher with “good enough speed” and “great hands,” who will always fall forward against smaller defenders. Peoples, meanwhile, measures in at 5-foot-10 and 203 pounds. He has great quickness and the kind of strength and balance that allows him to bounce of off tacklers and keep going.

In building the room, Locklyn has also been intentional about finding different kinds of running backs.

“Yeah, I want different styles. I never try to take the same back,” he said. “You don’t want to take the same thing. You want to take guys with different strengths, whether they’re big guys, small guys, pass catchers, in-between-the-tackle runners. I don’t want to take the same back. I want different backs.”

The Freshmen

With three true freshmen on the roster this season, somebody is likely to be called upon in the same way that James Peoples was last year as the Buckeyes’ No. 3 tailback. One of Bo Jackson or Isaiah West or Turbo Rogers will be called upon late in blowouts to help run out the clock.

But first, they have some goals to meet along the way.

“The first thing, are they on the ball? Will they do the little small detail things.
Take care of the ball,” Locklyn said. “The second thing would be how good are they in pass pro, because that’s the hardest thing for high school backs because they’re not really doing it at the high school level. They have to understand the pass pro. So, that’s what I need to see first.”

Monday is the fourth of 15 spring practices for the Buckeyes, followed by a summer of weight room work, then more than two dozen practices in August before Ohio State opens the season against Texas.

There’s a long way to go for everybody, but especially the freshmen.

“I think they’re going to be fine,” Locklyn said. “I tell all the young guys, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. First thing, you better earn a spot on special teams.
You earn a spot on special teams, then you earn the right to be a Buckeye RB and get out there on the field. So, I think they’re trending in the right direction.”

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